Shadow of a Doubt
by Krajhi Vril
Summary: My first fanfic! Yay! The story of a roguish teenage Gerudo who's life takes an unexpected turn after a meeting with a mysterious stranger who seems to know more about her past than she herself...
1. If Only

Ah.*taps microphone* Is this thing on? Um, this is my first fanfic, and it would be great if you could review this first chapter.  
  
Now for the disclaimer/claimer:  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, including all games, characters, or locations that are mentioned in the games.  
  
CLAIMER: All characters are copyright © me, unless otherwise stated (see above disclaimer).  
  
First, a little about the plot:  
  
This story occurs about ten years after the events depicted in Ocarina of Time, and focuses on the adventures of a rebellious teenage Gerudo named Niar Khaliizi. Her story begins in the Gerudo Valley.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter One: If Only.  
  
The sun had almost disappeared behind the faraway hills as Niar Khaliizi sat at the edge of the valley, her legs dangling over the edge. The sound of hoof beats faded away along with the bright orb that was the sun, and the dust stirred by the horse nearly diminished. Niar's icy eyes gazed downward at the white rapids below her, but her thoughts were not of the river beneath her feet, but of the person who had just rode a milky white horse across the bridge spanning the valley. 'The bridge rebuilt by Hylians,' Niar remembered, a burning hatred rising up inside of her. Frowning, she shook her head, rustling her sapphire blue hair, which she let fall down around her shoulders instead of tying it in a ponytail like normal Gerudos. By now the rider was long gone, and only Niar's memories remained. He, like all Hylians, thought only of himself, with no regards for other's well being.  
  
Then again, what had she expected? If only she had turned him away when he arrived at the valley, his breathing heavy and his clothes stained with blood. If only she had let him lay there and die on the rubicund dirt, his own spilled blood mingling with that of whoever had fought him. If only.Hyrule was full of "if only's."  
  
Sighing, Niar stood up, dusting off her unorthodox blue Gerudo garb. She smiled as she thought of the look on her parent's faces as she announced her choice to wear blue instead of purple. 'Foster parents,' the Gerudo reminded herself. Her true parents had died before Niar was old enough to remember them. They fell into the valley, or so she had been told. Somehow, she didn't believe this. Though the facts were all against her, something inside of her, an instinct, she supposed it could be called, screamed 'THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH! THEY ARE DECIEVING YOU!"  
  
But this was not the time to dwell on such petty problems. Niar put two fingers up to her lips and whistled in a shrill tone. An ebony horse rounded the bend separating the Gerudo Fortress from the valley. Alarmed cries followed it, but Niar took no notice of these. As the horse reached her it whinnied softly, as though beckoning her to mount it. Niar readily accepted this invitation, wasting no time in climbing onto the saddle. The horse strained its neck to look up at her, waiting for her command. "Go," Niar whispered, as Gerudo guards just arriving from the fortress pointed at her and made frantic motions. The horse sped across the bridge, and as it reached the bridge's end, the rider atop the horse drew a stiletto from its scabbard and sliced through the worn ropes which held the bridge together. The boards fell, as that which held them together loosened its grip, to the flowing water below, and were quickly lost beneath the white rapids. The horse and its equestrian continued away from the valley, following the same path he had taken only minutes before.  
  
This time she wouldn't be caught, Niar decided. Though this was the same thought that had gone through her head every time she had run away before, Niar still believed it with the same ferocity that she had felt the first time she escaped.  
  
It was at about this time when Niar noticed two things. First, she was still holding her stiletto, and second, she had left the valley and was now riding through Hyrule Field. Somewhat embarrassed, she sheathed her stiletto, nearly dropping it because of her mount's sudden stop. Frowning, Niar glanced left and right, until she noticed that whatever had made her horse stop was right in front of them.  
  
A tattered black cloak was wrapped around its body, covering all of its skin, save its hands, on which it wore black gloves. The thing, which Niar presumed was male, raised a hand and pulled back his hood, but only enough so he could look at Niar with his bloodshot eyes. Niar froze under his gaze, unable to tear her gaze from his hypnotic eyes. Because of its fearful whinnies, it seemed her horse was having the same problem. He walked-or floated, rather, since his movements were smother than anything with feet could hope to achieve-closer to Niar, and said one word that held more meaning for her than anything she had heard in her life:  
  
"Ifalna?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
You like? Want more? Review, and me deliver.  
  
PS: All will be explained later.  
  
Signing off, I'm Jimmy Fallon-I mean, I'm Krajhi Vril.  
  
Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow! (I love Weekend Update!) 


	2. Lies

To LunaticChaos: Actually, I have been reading Evil Link since you first put it up, I just haven't reviewed until now. Heh.and I never said that I like the Holy Knight Link guy more than Evil Link.eh, I forgot the reason. But the point is, evil rules, good grovels at its feet.  
  
To Zerachiel: Thank you for your review, and I love your story. 'Tis beautiful. *hugs a Quill plushie*  
  
And to anyone else who happens upon my humble little story, you will most likely find that this chapter is not nearly as good as the first, but that is only because it has much more dialogue. Personally, I hate dialogue. Don't know why. But anyway, Enjoy (or not)!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ There was nothing Niar could do to hide the surprise on her face. "Goddesses," she whispered, and put a hand on her horse to steady herself. Realizing she could move again, Niar made the assumption that the man was just as astonished as she was. Quickly regaining her composure, the Gerudo mounted her horse, and was about to spur the graceful animal when the man spoke again.  
  
"You are not Ifalna? But you look just like her." His eyes widened, and the man pulled back his hood the rest of the way, revealing the pale, cavernous face of one who was starving. He had raven black hair, which would have been handsome, had it not been graying from old age. The bloodshot eyes that had frightened her so much not a moment before now held a new, but waning hope. "You mustn't leave! You know who Ifalna is, don't you?" The man called desperately to Niar, rummaging through the deep pockets of his frayed cloak.  
  
Niar turned her head to stare at him, as if having an internal debate on whether to trust him or not. Finally, she turned away and replied in a quiet, sad voice, "Ifalna was my mother." As she said these words, Niar felt a great burden being lifted from her shoulders, and she was all the better for it. "Who are you, to know the name of one long dead?" She asked as a suspicious though entered her head. How many people had known her mother who weren't Gerudos? This man was obviously Hylian, so, unless her mother had been extremely outgoing, he should know nothing of Ifalna. There was a good chance that her parent's deaths were anything but accidental.  
  
The Hylian breathed a sigh of relief, but his mind was quite chaotic. Ifalna didn't have a daughter! She would have told him if she had, right? Yes, of course, Ifalna wouldn't have been able to keep something like that secret from anyone, least of all him. As he reached this final decision, Niar's question registered at last, and he looked up at her, his face full of disbelief. "Dead?" he repeated with a shaky timbre, "But how?" It couldn't be.there was no way. She couldn't be dead! Had he not just seen her a week ago? "Lies, all lies! First you try to trick me into believing you are Ifalna's daughter, and now you tell me she is dead! Even if she is dead, why do you say 'long?' I conversed with her a week ago today."  
  
"I-impossible." Niar's expression was that of shock, but she did not attempt to hide it. "Ifalna Khaliizi died sixteen years ago after falling into the Gerudo Valley, when I was only a few months old. You are the one who lies." Her icy blue eyes narrowed, and she began to unsheathe her stiletto. If the man tried anything, she'd be ready. Niar hadn't gone through all the intense combat training in the Gerudo Fortress for nothing.  
  
A chill wind blew across the field, as if the weather wished to enforce Niar's statement. "Khaliizi," he said thoughtfully, "is not Ifalna's name. Although, she did use it as one of her alias' when." The Hylian trailed off, and cursed under his breath. This just didn't make any sense, unless.  
  
But before he could finish his thought, Niar eyed him disdainfully and curtly replied, "What do you mean by 'alias'? And where do I fit in this whole web of deceit?" The Gerudo sighed and removed her hand from the hilt of her sword. This man was obviously not going to attack her. He seemed to know that he was no match for her superior skills. But at the same time, Niar noticed something else about him, some kind of inner power. There was only one thing that fit that description: magic! She had never seen magic before, only heard of it in the stories that were told by the man who sold Bombchus in the desert.  
  
"Do you really want to know? You know the saying, 'ignorance is bliss.'"  
  
"Goddesses, yes! It's not like I've been sitting around for all these years without ever wondering about my past."  
  
Now it was his turn to sigh. Niar was quite a stubborn girl. "Well, you had better sit down," he started, "because this might take a while." 


End file.
